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Precision Advertising July 4, 2024

An Impossible Victory

How to Win with Digital Precision

In the 2024 UK general election, Labour candidate Jenny Riddell-Carpenter achieved a historic and improbable victory in Suffolk Coastal, winning by just 1,070 votes in a traditionally Conservative stronghold. Rubikon Intel, in collaboration with Stratcom UK, executed a highly focused digital campaign using programmatic advertising and precise voter segmentation. Targeting 33,682 key voters out of 74,476, the team deployed tailored video content with an impressive 56.39% completion rate. This digital strategy, driven by real-time adjustments and data-driven insights, resulted in an 18.7% vote swing, turning a near-impossible challenge into a landmark win.

Task

To implement a highly targeted digital campaign using programmatic advertising and voter segmentation to secure a Labour victory in Suffolk Coastal by mobilizing key voters and driving a significant vote swing within a tight 10-day window.

  • Strategy

    Precise Voter Segmentation, Programmatic Advertising, Real-time Adjustments

  • Client

    Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, Labour Party

  • Tags

    Programmatic Ads, United Kingdom

Objectives

  • Increase visibility of Jenny Riddell-Carpenter among Labour supporters and undecided voters.
  • Engage voters through targeted messaging that resonated with their specific concerns.
  • Mobilize Labour-leaning voters and encourage turnout, particularly in critical areas with higher voter potential.
  • Persuade undecided voters with direct, issue-based video content.

Digital Strategy

Multifaceted digital campaign using programmatic advertising and advanced demographic segmentation deployed. The following strategies were integral to the campaign's success:

  • Broader Reach Campaign: Targeted all 74,476 voters within the constituency, ensuring comprehensive coverage and visibility.
  • Hyper Targeting: Focused on 33,682 voters, who were identified as more likely to support Labour and turn out to vote, using geo-targeted ads based on their location.
  • Video Shorts Campaign: Seven versions of issue-specific video ads were created, addressing key voter concerns such as healthcare, housing, and social justice. These videos achieved a remarkable Video Completion Rate (VCR) of 56.39%.

Results

The digital strategy exceeded expectations and contributed to a historic victory:

  • Vote Swing: A significant 18.7% swing from Conservative to Labour, culminating in a narrow victory margin of 1,070 votes.
  • Balanced Exposure: Each voter saw campaign messages an average of 3.61 times, maintaining engagement without causing ad fatigue.
  • Cost Efficiency: The hyper-targeting video ads were particularly cost-effective, driving engagement with minimal spend.

Challenges

The campaign faced several formidable obstacles, making the path to victory particularly challenging:

  • Decades of Conservative Dominance: Suffolk Coastal had been a Conservative stronghold since 1983, with a history of consistently high Conservative vote shares. Flipping the district required overcoming entrenched voting patterns.
  • Historically Low Labour Support: Labour had traditionally struggled in Suffolk Coastal, and reversing this trend required a strategic approach to engage and persuade undecided voters.
  • Compressed Timeline: The campaign had just ten days to implement a digital strategy, placing immense pressure on the team to execute quickly and effectively, leaving no room for missteps.

Execution and Channels

The campaign utilized several innovative channels:

  • Mobile apps and games: Platforms like "Happy Color," "Candy Crush," and "Wordscapes" were leveraged to capture voter attention during leisure time.
  • Local news and streaming platforms: High-traffic websites such as "The Sun UK," "Mirror UK," and the "East Anglian Daily Times" were used to increase the visibility of the campaign.
  • Real-time optimization: The programmatic tools allowed for real-time adjustments in ad delivery based on engagement metrics, ensuring maximum efficiency in ad spend.

Key Takeaways

  • Targeting and Engagement: The use of programmatic technology enabled highly precise targeting, ensuring that campaign messages reached the most influential voters.
  • Video Shorts: The issue-specific video content resonated strongly with the electorate, demonstrating the importance of tailored messaging in political campaigns.
  • Real-Time Adaptation: The ability to make real-time adjustments to the campaign based on performance metrics was crucial in optimizing resource allocation and ensuring effectiveness.

Collaboration

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